Receptacle-closure.



No. 872,160. PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. A. L. WEISSBNTHANNER.

REGEPTAGLE CLOSURE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 6, 1904.

811 ucul'oz UNITED STATES ALFRED L. WEISSENTHANNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BECEPTACLE-GLQSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Application filed December 6, 1904. SerialNo. 235,718.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. WEISSEN- THANNER, a citizen of the Republic of France, and a resident of New York city, State of New York, have invented a certam new and useful Improvement in Receptacle-Closures; of ii vlllllcll the following is a'specification.

' for ac ages or receptacles and more particulary to a vacuum closure where atmospheric ressure is relied u on to compress the pac 'ng band and hold the cover in place.

In my Patent No. 724,147, dated March 31, 1903, I have fully described means for effecting a perfect and practicall permanent hermetic seal by the use of a pac 'ng band of very small sectional area, and one which, in

. practice, will present one or more highly compressed, narrow, film-like layers between the power through change in bulk, due to deterioration or otherwise, to relieve the pressure upon the highly compressed portions thus breaking the seal.

The invention described in the present aplication is based upon the principles set forth in my said Patent 724,147 as will be understood by reference thereto, and to the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and '2 are vertical sectional views of a cover and receptacle respectively, illustrating one embodlment of the invention;

Fig. 3 a similar view of the same parts showing the position ofthe packing and cover when the latter is held m'place by atmospheric pressure Fi 4 a vertical sectional view showing anot or form of cover and packing; Fig. 5 a vertical sectional view showing the cover of Fig. 4 in position on a rece tacle, and Fig. 6 a similar view of a mo cation;

parts throughout the several views. Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 resent invention relates to a closure Similar reference numerals indicate similar designates a receptacle made of any suitable material such as glass or earthenware, and of any suitable form having vertical or tapered sides, the drawings showing an ordinary glass for preserving jellies and the like. The upper surface 2 of the receptacle may be made slightly convex, as shown in the drawings,or flat. The cover is preferably made of thin sheet metal more or less yielding, and comprises a disk 3 having around its outer edge an upwardly extending wall 4, giving a depressed central portion ada ted to enter the mouth of the receptacle. he diameter of the disk 3 is slightly less than the internal diameter of the mouth of the receptacle 1, so that the wall 4 will fit snugly, but not tightly, against the inner wallof said receptacle, and so as to aflord a space into which the packing ring, as hereafter described, may be pressed to form a thin, film-like edge between the wall 4 and the inner wall of the race tacle. The wall 4 is preferably formed at rig t angles to the disk 3, and projecting at substantially right angles to the former is a flange 5 bent over, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to provide a downwardly. projecting rim 6, al-

though the latter is not essential and may be dis ensed with as shown in'Figs. 4, 5 and 6.- In fact I prefer to make the flange 5 without the rim.6. The flange 5 has a plain, flat surface and by making it and the other parts of the cover of resilient metal, I secure all the advantages of automatic adaptation to irregularities in the form of the receptacle or the packing ring, or both, and of such uniform local compression of the film-like part or parts of the packing ring throughout its en: tire length, as disclosed in my said Patent 724,147.

The outside diameter of the ring constituting the flange 5 is made equal; to or less than the outside diameter of the mouth of the receptacle, but not in excess thereof; or, in

conform to the shape of the mouth of the receptacle.

The packing ring may be made of an elastic rubber composition or of any similar compressible non-porous material; or of 'a com osition which is normally solid or hard W en cold but which, when subjected to heat, becomes sufficiently soft and plastic to permit of its being shaped or molded into form to secure the formation of the make a perfect seal. When of such hardening composition the ackin'g in the form of a flat ring or band Wll preferably be permanently secured to the under face of the flange 5 by any suitable adhesive substance, as in dicated at 7 in Figs. 1 and 3, said ring extending substantially the width of said face, or it may be of such nature as to adhere to the metal when heated and then cooled, and does not require, therefore, the application of an additional adhesive agent. The packing ring if of an elastic rubber composition may be secured in a similar manner, or by sim ly stretching it into place about the vertica wall 4, as indicated at 8 in Fig. 4.

The receptacle above described may be hermetically sealed by following any of the usual and well known means em )loyed in carrying out the vacuum process, t e atmospheric pressure acting immediately upon the cover maintaining it tightly in lace. In Figs. 1 and 3 the packing ring 7 is ffrought to bear upon the sealing surface 2 and will be squeezed out and locally compressed into thin, film-like or knife edges between the inner wall of the receptacle and the wall 4, and between the outer wall of the receptacle and the depending rim 6, one or both of said edges being present when the parts are properly constructed.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the atmospheric pressure acts upon the cover to tightly compress the packing band so as to form a thin edge, which receives the greater part of the force acting on the cover, either between the wall 4 and the inner wall of the receptacle, or between the flange 5 and the upper surface of the receptacle, or at both of said points. Whatever the form or nature of the packing ring or band employed,

it will be of relatively small sectional area, so as to permit of a part of the band being compressed between the opposing surfaces to a greater degree than other arts in order to esired thin filmlike bearing edge or edges for the cover. When using the form of cover illustrated in Fig. 1 the packing lying atsubstantially the middle line of the flange 5 will also be more caved and the flange 5 made convex to conform to the shape of theupper surface of the receptacle as shown in Fig. 6; The flange 5 may be rounded in the process of manufac ture or after it is in place on the receptacle by forcing it to take the shape of the upper surface of the receptacle by any suitable tool. While, therefore, in the claim I use the word flat as definitive of the flange, I desire to include as within such term a flange not only mathematically flat but one that is convex or one having the angle between the flange 5 andthe wall 4 rounded or gradually merging into the disk 3. the flange as of less Width than the outside diameter of the receptacle.

- By means of the present invention I am enabled to eflect the perfect closure of a receptacle having a plain open mouth, that is, one without beads, flanges, oflsets, or recesses, by a cover of resilient sheet metal which is extremely simple in design, very easy and cheap to make, saving about ten per cent. in metal over covers heretofore used and yet .easily removable.

'What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The combination of a receptacle having a plain open mouth. with a rounded edge, a cover for sealing said receptacle by atmos pheric pressure, said cover comprising a plain flat flange the outside diameter of secured to said flange and adapted to be compressed between the same and the mouth of the receptacle in substantially the manner describe In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED I. WEISSENTHANNER. I

'Witnesses:

E. F. PORTER,

GRACE L. HEASLEY. v

Fig. 6 also shows 

